1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electric heating body embedded in a calorie accumulator block.
Generally speaking, it relates to the industrial and commercial field for the production and distribution of primary and auxiliary heating apparatuses that are adapted for all types of premises, such as dwellings, houses, offices, stores, or other private or professional premises.
2. Discussion of Background Information
Currently, central heating systems are increasingly abandoned in favor of self-contained individual units, particularly in residential premises and offices, due to the difficulties to control and optimize energy consumption in large installations.
Electric heating apparatuses generally are radiators constituted of a casing made of steel sheet, provided with an air inlet and outlet and including a single resistance. In most cases, the control is ensured by a thermostat integrated in the apparatus, and in rare cases, by a more developed system that can comprise zone thermostats, an external thermostat, and possibly a scheduler or a power cut-off device.
The control of the current electric radiators is typically an on-off control between two nearly equal temperatures (“differential”). The heat source is alternately shut-off and cold, then connected at its maximum temperature. Recent studies have shown that the impression felt does not correspond to the mean temperature, but rather to the actual lowest temperature. As a result, the need for comfort often leads users to set the thermostat several degrees above the desired temperature, which results in a significant waste of energy.
French Patent No. 2 721 472, filed on Jun. 15, 1994 by the same inventor, describes an electric heating unit constituted of a metallic or non-metallic enclosure containing, in its lower portion, a heating body constituted of a shielded resistance (resistive wire confined in an insulant and in a metallic tube) embedded in a light alloy metallic unit. The heating body is separated from the enclosure by spacers, such that the metallic unit is entirely surrounded by an air cushion. The control of the system is carried out by an electronic device that cuts power for a variable time period during a cycle of about several seconds.
This device makes it possible to produce electric radiators in which the temperature of the heat source does not vary substantially. These apparatuses further have the advantage of accumulating thermal energy while being more compact than the usual accumulation systems, which makes it possible to house them in, for example, communicating doors.